Remnants of the wrath of the Waldo Canyon fire are more than evident in the Shadow Mountains subdivision today July 1, 2012. Houses were burned completely to the ground while others survived the blaze.
(Special to the Daily Record/Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post)

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T he summer of 2012 was marred by major wildfires throughout the state of Colorado.

The Waldo Canyon Fire swept through Colorado Springs in June, burning 347 homes and killing two people. Investigators said in September that they have concluded the fire started within 3 miles of the Waldo Canyon trail head off of U.S. 24 and that it was human caused.

The fire was reported on June 23 and was fueled by high winds and burned until mid-July.

A variety of local groups gathered items to support the evacuees from the fire area. The Cañon City Daily Record, Department of Corrections Employee Council, Walgreens, Shorinkan Family Karate and The American Tattoo Society all joined forces to organize a drive to help the victims.

The Cañon City hotels and motels also filled with Colorado Springs evacuees, including Woodland Park residents Kevin Murray and Kristina Knowles, both 33, and their three children, Kassidy, 11, Kain, 6, and Cora, 3.

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"The smoke was so bad," Knowles said. "We don't have air conditioning. Most of the time, we don't need it. I had the windows cracked a little bit to ventilate. I put a fan in there, and it was blowing into the house. That next morning about 3 o'clock, I was so sick I was throwing up. My skin was bright red. My eyes were bright red."

The smoke from the fire affected the entire region while it blazed and for several weeks after.

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